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FFS Euro Cup 2012 : Semi-Finals Round-Up

It almost seems just yesterday but exactly a month ago, we had 32 managers setting off in search for the ultimate glory – the European Championship 2012. And it has all boiled down to today. Indeed, ladies and gentlemen, the big finale is here!

Before we preview the mouth-watering clash in the finale, it’s time for a traditional round-up of the Semi-finals.

Semi-final Results:

Croatia 105 vs Germany 95
Italy 108 vs Denmark 96

End of an Era
Had Germany gone all the way, it would have been a truly incredible story for many reasons and a great advert for this format of the Cup. It seemed they were just about doing enough at every stage to slip over the finish line…..until they came up against the Challenge of the Croats. The Germans’ Felix Felicis potion finally seemed to have ran out and that marked the end of the “Jamtziness” era. Coincidentally, it also meant that the exit of the last Pot 1 heavyweight and the last Scout standing. Still..well played, kameraden.

Danish Despair
Another success story, which has been a great advert for the Cup. Denmark were quietly going about their business in the group stages & quarter-finals and no-one seemed to realize that the underdogs had come thus far into Semi-finals. The Danish duo of Isacki & LightKnight showed tremendous valour in taking punts at such a crucial stage as the SFs and should be commended for their immense team spirit throughout the Cup. We also salute them for their achievements and phenomenal contribution to the Cup.

Council strikes again!
“Yet another Cup final, yet another Council member” was a common phenomenon over the UCL, Euro’s and the FWC (3/4 Cups so far). Is it just a coincidence that another Council member might win a Cup again? Is this the same finalist Parmtree who questioned the integrity of the last CL organizer-cum-winner? A few newspapers in Denmark blame horrid refereeing decisions for Denmark’s loss to the Azzurris and they claim that the Council may have a biased hand in it. They claim Isacki as saying “Blasphemy, I say. They might as well have direct qualification of the Council member into the finals. I mean – what’s the point?”

Captain Super Mario to the rescue!
The formula to both the victories in the semi-finals was simple – captain Mario Balotelli. Who would have thought that this unruly, indisciplined troublemaker would turn out to be a huge huge hero? Well…SuperDunny and Milanista did. Bravo to their risks and I’m glad they reaped the reward. In fact, rumors suggest that after the match, Italy co-manager Milanista took Mario on a one-on-one romantic holiday to the Bahamas. If Mario doesn’t turn up tonight, we all know who’s to blame….but meanwhile here’s what Mario had to say.

Group of Debt prevails over the Group of Death
As it turned out, Group C was an outright winner against Group B in the semi-finals. All the intimidating provocative posters of “Cash is King” by Group B managers were burned down at the Donetsk and such thoughts put to death by our finalists.

Right then….the big finale. A rematch of Group C’s qualifiers: Italy vs Croatia.

On one hand, Croatia are unbeaten and are taking this Cup by a storm. They also possess the highest FPL rank in the Cup and the managers are known to have a reputation in big matches. On the other hand, you have the Azzurris, who’re peaking at the right time and will be in the mood to avenge their loss in the group stages. Don’t underestimate the Azzurris one bit, for they have the in-house Italian expert Milanista and the puntilicious Parmtree.

Previewing each of their Semi-final squads, it’s very very tight. Croatia has 9 Spanish & 2 Italian starters comparing to Italy’s 9 Spanish & 3 Italian starters. Of course, Italy also have a slight edge over holding onto a few doubtful starters. But clearly, this clash should boil down to captaincy, since they will have just one crucial chance at a successful captaincy choice.

Two of these four warriors will be crowned European Champions tonight and will retain the title for a long long time. Remember whilst there are the real-life heroes of Spain & Italy fighting out for Cup Glory, you also have these diligent warriors of the FFS world. Good luck to both our finalists!